court, on the right hand, in Fishamble street. I have told you this long story, to desire you will send for the woman, this Anne Giles, and examine her strictly, to find if she be the real daughter of Elizabeth Jones, alias Perkins, or not; and how her mother, who is so well able, came to send her in so miserable a condition to Ireland. The errand is so romantick, that I know not what to say to it. I would be ready to sacrifice five pounds, on old acquaintance, to help the woman; I suspect her mother's letters to be counterfeit, for I remember she spells like a kitchenmaid. And so I end this worthy business.

My bookseller, Mr. Motte, by my recommendation, dealt with Mr. Hyde*; there are some accounts between them, and Hyde is in his debt. He has desired me to speak to Mr. Hyde's executors to state the account, that Mr. Motte may be in a way to recover the balance. I wish you would step to Mr. Hyde's house, and inquire how that matter stands, and how Mr. Motte is to be paid. I suppose Mr. Hyde died in good circumstances, and that there will be no danger of his creditors suffering by his death.

I enclose a letter to Mr. Motte, which you will be so kind to send to the postoffice.

I desire, likewise, that you will make Mrs. Brent buy a bottle of usquebaugh, and leave it with the woman who keeps sir Arthur Acheson's house in Capel street, and desire her to deliver it to captain Creichton, who lodges at the Pied Horse, in

* Mr. John Hyde, an eminent bookseller of Dublin, of fair good character.

+ Whose Memoirs are printed in volume x, p. 318.

Capel

Capel street, and is to bring down other things to my lady Acheson.

My most humble service to Mrs. Worrall, Mrs. Dingley, and love to Mrs. Brent.

I wish you all a happy new year.

FROM FRANCIS GEOGEGHAN, ESQ.

SIR,

MARCH 10, 1728-9.

YOUR time is precious, your curiosity not very small, my esteem of you very great; therefore come not within the walls of the four courts in hopes of hearing a matrimonial decree in this reign; for on Monday, (viz.) that is to say, the 10th of this instant March, 1728, his excellency Thomas Wyndham, esq., lord high chancellor of Ireland, pronounced, after your back was turned, and not with the assistance of the two chiefs, his decree in the case of Stewart v. Stewart, on A. Powel to this effect-He said there was a full consent till such time as the draught of the settlement was sent down to Mrs. Stewart, to be considered by her and her friends; and after she had considered it, she shall not be at liberty to make any objections; for all restrictions of marriage are odious in the civil law, and not favoured by the common law, especially after the age of one and twenty; therefore marry they may, and let Mr. Nutley* be a lawyer for Mrs. Rebecca Stewart, the plaintiff, to take care of the settlement

* Mr. Nutley had been a judge in queen Anne's time.

for her advantage, and let Powel choose another lawyer for himself; though by the by, Mr. Nutley would serve for both; and it is not necessary to inquire what Powel makes by his practice, although he assured the mother it amounted to one thousand four hundred pounds per annum.

Ovid, 'tis true, successfully imparts

The rules to steal deluded virgins hearts;
But O! ye fair ones, pious Nutley's skill
Instructs you to elude, by magick bill,
The laws of God, and gratify your will.

You will, I hope, excuse this liberty in one, who, to resent the indignity offered to you by Ram's coachman*, made him drunk soon after at Gory; which so incensed the aforesaid Ram, that he discharged him his service, and he is now so reduced, that he has no other way of getting his bread but by crying in this city, "Ha' you any dirt to carry out?"

I

am, sir, your sincere friend and humble servant.

FRANCIS GEOGEGHAN.

FROM WILLIAM FLOWER, ESQ†.

SIR,

ASHBROOK, MARCH 18, 1728-9.

As I have been honoured with some of your letters, and as you are my old acquaintance, though to my sorrow not intimately so, I trust you will pardon

* Vid. Intelligencer, No. 2.

+ Created lord Castledurrow, Oct. 27, 1733.

this

this presumption. Perhaps you may be at a loss to
guess what title I have to an old acquaintance with
you; but as several little accidents make indelible
impressions upon the minds of schoolboys, near
thirty years ago, when I was one, I remember I was
committed to your care from Sheene to London: we
took water at Mortlake, the commander of the little
skiff was very drunk and insolent, put us ashore at
Hammersmith, yet insisted, with very abusive lan-
guage, on his fare, which you courageously refused;
the mob gathered; I expected to see your gown
stripped off, and for want of a blanket to take a
flight with
you in it, but

Tum pietate gravem ac meritis si forte virum quem
Conspexêre, silent, arrectisque auribus astant:
Ille regit dictis animos, et pectora mulcet.

Virg. Æn. I. 155.

By your powerful eloquence you saved your bacon and money, and we happily proceeded on our journey. But it is not an inclination purely to tell you this old story, which persuades me to write. A friend from Dublin lately obliged me with a very entertaining paper, entitled, "The Intelligencer," it is number 20, a posthumous work of Nestor Ironside; a correspondent mentioning these papers in a letter, raising my curiosity, with the specimen I had of them, to read the rest. For my part, I have buried myself in the country, and know little of the world, but what I learn from newspapers; you, who live so much in it, and from other more convincing proofs, I am satisfied are acquainted with the Intelligencer. I wish his zeal could promote the welfare of his poor country, but I fear his labour is in vain.

The miseries of the north, as represented, demand the utmost compassion, and must soften the malice of the most bitter enemy. I hope they, whose interest it is, if they rightly considered it, to relieve those miserable wretches, will redress so publick a calamity; to which, if, as I have heard, some of the clergy, by exacting of tithes, have contributed, they deserve as great censure, as a certain dean, who lends several sums without interest to his poor parishioners, has gained credit and honour by his charitable beneficence. Bad men, to be sure, have crept in, and are of that sacred and learned order; the blackest of crimes, forgery, treason, and blasphemy, recently prove this: such should be spewed out of it with utmost contempt, and punished according to their demerit with severe justice. If this allegation be true, I hope to see them censured by the Intelligencer, and recommend to him the words of Jeremiah to expatiate upon chap. x, ver. 21, chap. xii, ver. 10, 11. I imagine the poor widow, his printer*, is in danger of punishment; she suffered very cruelly for the Drapier's works; I hope several contributed to ease her misfortunes on that occasion; I confess I am sorry I did not, but if you will give her a piece of gold, not in my name I beg, being unwilling to vaunt of charity, but as from a friend of yours, I shall by the first safe hand send one; in return I expect the Drapier's works entire.

I am sorry that for the benefit of the ladies, the author has not given us the English of

Motus doceri gaudet Ionicos

Matura virgo.

* Mrs. Harding,

Not